Murky Tears

Chapter 2: Rebirth

Forgive, O lord my little jokes on thee, and I'll forgive thy great big one on me. ~Robert Frost

(Sorry there isn't a lot of dialogue in this part.)

I wake up, in my own bed. I feel like my chest is going to explode. I can move, but I won't. I tell my muscles to stay still, even though I was desperate to turn on the light, and eliminate what ever might be hiding in the dark. A penetrating pain continues to scream from within my feet and wrist, like a nail was driven into them. But I don't feel stunned or any fear
Get up,
You must get up.
A sensation of dizziness continues to wash over my body, but I try my hardest to bear with it.

I finally tell my fingers to move. I wince. Fiery pain shoots up my arm, but I don't scream, not even a whimper.

I sit up, and turn on my light. This isn't my house. I mean, it is, I live here. But it feels like everything has changed. It feels like every object I owned was replaced by an exact replica.

I get out of my bed, rising like the undead from its grave. Once again, sharp searing pain shoots up from my ankle. I take a look at the source of the aching feelings. Faint puncher wounds with the circumference of a needle tip reside on both the inside and out side of the joint. Like what ever I was poked with went through one side and out the other.

I waddle over to my bedroom mirror and stare at my reflection but my face doesn't stare back; something else does. It has my blue eyes, light brown skin, and straight black hair. But, it's not my face. Somethings off, somethings changed.

I want to punch the monster staring back at me. I want to scream at it, tell it to leave. But I know that's not what I need to do right now. What I need to do is eat and call my boss to tell her I am NOT working today.

I realize I haven't checked the time. I unplug my phone from its charger.

12:30 pm

How? I came home from walking Alex back to his house at around 4:00 p.m. yesterday. what happen to me?

I try to repeat the sequence of events in my head

So, I walked Alex home, I came home, then I laid on my couch, then... I can't remember. I couldn't have fallen asleep, because then I would've waken up on my couch. Why can't I recall what I've done for the past twenty hours?

I hobble over to my bathroom and turn on the shower. I wait five minutes for the water to warm up. The steam triggers something in me, like a distant blurry memory.

When I step in, the water shocks me, but soon it dulls to a warmth. I let it rush over my skin and let my muscles relax, but for some reason, the steam continues to make me tense. I start giving myself a scalp message and let my head drop forward. I am just about to close my eyes when I notice that the water going down the drain is red. I am washing blood off of my body.

I scream and turn off the faucet. My heart is beating as I examine my body. A line of red crust outlines my shoulder and breast. Patches of dried blood dot my legs and upper arms. It was as if I was dipped in a pool of blood. I fall over gasping as the world shakes like it's falling apart. An image flashes before my eyes, then disappears as soon as it gets there. It was the guy from Frosty Swirls. He was standing above me with his head tilted. Blood on his chin and he was smiling with a very frightening look in his eye. It was night time, at least thats all I could see, that it was dark.

I stand up quickly, my heart pounding like the foot steps of an angry horse.

I turn on my sink and just use a wash cloth to aggressively scrub the rest of the blood off my body.

I need to get out.

I put on a shirt and pants, put on my coat and grab my purse. I don't have a car, so I usually just walk or ask a friend to pick me up. But obviously I am not fit to hang out.

As I walk I breathe heavily and try so hard to call back any scraps of memory. Nothing. I try even harder to calm myself and think clearly. Nope. I challenge my mind to sort out what was real and what wasn't. Not working.

For a split second, the world trembles and I stumble. Everything is blurry again, for just a second. I am scared another image is going to be conjured but I try to ignore it.

A newspaper, picked up by the wind, flutters in front of my feet.
"Nine dogs Slaughtered." Boy, what a captivating head line. I keep walking because honestly, I don't care.

I feel lethargic and my stomach hurts from hunger. I guess I haven't eaten in twenty freaking hours. I smell pizza coming from a nearby restaurant.

                                     ~*~

I've wolfed down two cheese pizza's when suddenly my body begins to shake, like I am scared. I fall to the floor. I don't know whats happening. The room and people's voices start whipping and flying around my head. A firm man grabs my arm.

"Are you okay?" a young male voice asks.

"Are you okay?" two voices this time, one is the same, one is guttural.

I bolt up and run out the door and dash back towards my apartment. I am scared, I need help, I to need call somebody. I run and my heart screams. I know where my house is, but I feel lost.

I realize heavy footsteps fall behind me. I don't look back. I'm being chased. I don't run home, I just run.

"Hey!" the voice calls.

"Hey!"

I begin to cry, I don't know where to go, I just want to get away. but the footsteps are getting closer.

He grabs my arm. I whip around drawing my hardest fist. I hit him, hard.

"Get the hell away from me !" my voice cracks.

He stumbles backwards holding his nose. Theres an angry expression on his face. He looks up at me as blood trickles from his nostril. It was him, I recognize his platinum hair  immediately, It was the guy from Frosty Licks.

"You dropped this." he holds up my wallet.

I stare at him skeptically, then snatch it out of his hand.

He mumbles something under his breathe and walks away. I don't bother to say thank you, I just walk the opposite direction instead.

"welcome." he calls over his shoulder.

I pull out my phone and text Brelyn, my closest friend. I tell her to meet me in thirty at my house.

I don't feel safe. I don't feel like I am the same person I was yesterday.